I am running 453s and I am often surprised at just how hard you can push on cold damp roads. They dont appear particularly progressive but its probably more to do with power delivery than tyres. Finding the limits of these tyres on open bends requires a fair amount of speed. I find the car is more limited by the subframe tying itself in a knot.

I bought a 330d with the falkens on and they are fine in the dry, crap in the wet. Making do with them for another month then they are coming off. And this is compared to the OEM bridgstones I've become very used to over the years.

I ran them for 10k (mostly motorway) miles on my 330d. Rears were down to *ahem* beyond the legal limit. That's soft by anyone's standards - driving hard they wouldn't have lasted anywhere near that.

I've still got the 452's on the front, but gone for the Kumho KU39 on the rear, and so far so good. Similar price, to within a few quid, equally quiet, grippy and comfortable. Wear after 4 months seems on a par with the Falkens though, so I think next time I'll go for a premium tyre and see if they last a little longer.